Monday 29 April 2013

Time is ripe for urban orchard on former Stagecoach depot site

From Manchester City Council's website:

Land which was the hundred-year home to a bus depot in Moss Side will be turning over a new leaf as it’s turned into a community orchard this weekend (27-28 April).

Stagecoach Manchester ended its century-long association with the Princess Road site in August 2011, when it moved to new purpose-built premises on the Sharston industrial estate in Wythenshawe.

The land was acquired by Manchester City Council, who invited the community to make suggestions for a ‘meanwhile’ use of the land, while its long-term future was discussed.

This prompted Dan Hasler, who runs the Moss Cider Project – a social enterprise venture to turn unwanted fruit into cider or apple juice – to come up with a solution to benefit the whole community.
Dan, aged 31, and other residents suggested starting an urban orchard on part of the land, growing apple trees in pots so that they could be moved easily once the land was set for redevelopment.
Dan said: "We wanted the land to become a little part of Eden in an urban setting, which all the community could enjoy and help to grow."

Since then Manchester City Council has provided £10,000 through regeneration funding and cash grants for the project, which will start tomorrow. In addition Heineken, whose Moss Side brewery employs more than 270 people locally, has donated 25 apple trees to the project.

The first trees will be planted tomorrow in an event which will also coincide with Moss Side’s annual Open Yardens celebration. The ‘yarden’ is a term coined for the area’s yards which have been transformed into green areas.

The first open yarden event was held in 2011, which saw over 30 back yards, community gardens and alleyways in Moss Side open their gates to the public to show what can be grown in a small space.
Councillor Jim Battle, deputy leader with responsibility for regeneration at Manchester City Council, said: "The urban orchard will really boost the green credentials of Moss Side, which is already known for its creative gardening. A ‘meanwhile’ or temporary use for land is a very effective way of letting the community have full use and benefit of a piece of land for a specific amount of time before it can be redeveloped."

Derek Orford, site manager at Heineken Manchester, said: "As the leading cider-maker in the UK, we are delighted to have been able to share our cider experience as well as donating apple trees to a local, grass-roots social enterprise like the Moss Cider Project."

Anyone who wants to get involved with the Open Yardens event or planting the community orchard tomorrow and Sunday is asked to call Jo Wilkes on 07904 244 557.

Sunday 28 April 2013

AGM Minutes

 As mentioned in the last post -see below for the link to the minutes.

Kath

Link to PDF copy of AGM Minutes

Annual Report of the Bowes Street Residents' Association

Please follow the link to read the annual report of the residents' association, as agreed at the AGM last Tuesday.

Link to annual report as PDF file

Full minutes of the meeting will be published here shortly.

New committee

Congratulations to the newly-elected BSRA committee members who will be co-ordinating things on our behalf for the next twelve months. Please contact them through the blog or e-mail if you'd like to get in touch.

Chair:                                   Kath Cunningham (Cowesby Street)
Vice-chair:                            Jo Campbell (Hartington Street)
Secretary:                             Natalie Lewis (Hartington Street)
Treasurer:                             John Haines (Rosebery Street)
Communications officer:     Anna Mannion-Jones (Rosebery Street)
Committee member:            Dorothee Devouge (Beresford Street)
Committee member:            Neelam Zaka (Rosebery Street)

The next planned residents' association event will be a 'bring and share' alleyway barbeque on Tuesday 28th May - see you there!

Pest control information

Posted on behalf of Jo Campbell:

As discussed at the meeting last Tuesday, I've put together some info on pests. I can't seem to create a fresh blog so if one of you clever folks can shift this to a more suitable place for me I would be very grateful.

Cockroaches are by their very nature difficult to get rid of, they can survive with very little food or water and they simply move between houses. I would welcome a targeted approach for each row of terraces because at least that way we would be killing them or stunting their ability to reproduce.

A professional will know where best to place chemicals, deep into the crevices if that's the approach you wish to take or you could try doing it yourself. There are DIY products available. I heard about a hormone powder that makes the females infertile from a woman in the pub who was a pest controller for many years.

To fill gaps (and to keep mice and rats out) you'd need to use wire wool or copper mesh packed into the hole/crack and then sprayed with expanding foam. The wire wool/copper mesh is not something rodents like to chew, they will soon give up and move on. The expanding foam seals the area and not even the most persistent cockroach will bother with that, they too will move on.

I would suggest pulling out as many appliances as possible and reaching as far behind the cupboards as you can, the further back you can keep them, the better as they give off a horrid smell. For your front and back doors, you could get draught excluders to close the gap, there are a few types, some have bristles on, some are thin foam strips, what you use will depend on how big the gap is.

For the roof a fine mesh will keep them out but still allow for ventilation, the mesh should be very small as mice can get through holes that are the diameter of a normal pen.

I have some links below, not managed to find the copper mesh in the UK. I really does work, I mouse-proofed my very old Bulgarian house in a rural village using this method and it's kept them out. You just have to be methodical taking care not to miss any gaps/holes.

Copper mesh http://www.amazon.com/Specialty-Copper-Mesh-FBcopper50-Stuff-It/dp/B004G6YL5E

Metal wool http://stores.ebay.com/SteelWool-biz/_i.html?_fsub=2110059013&gclid=CO_lqtHy7LYCFUXJtAodPg0A-A

Rentokil sell DIY products http://www.rentokil.co.uk/technical-support/our-products-and-services/insect-control/index.html

Good luck, just give me a shout if you need some help.

Monday 22 April 2013

Open Yarden Garden - work begins soon!

Work begins this weekend on the 'Open Yarden Garden' project on the former bus depot site at the end of our streets. Heineken have kindly donated 25 fruit trees and they need planting!

Volunteers are needed on both Saturday and Sunday. Jo Wilkes is your contact for further information, or to say you'd like to help:

Text 07904 244557
Or email openyardens@gmail.com



Agenda for AGM

Our AGM is tomorrow, Tuesday 23rd April, 6.30 pm at Fallowfield Library. Hopefully you should have seen had a flyer by now!

Agenda as follows:

6.30 - Annual report (Chair & Treasurer) and election of new officials
7.15 - Tea and cake!
7.30 - Brainstorming session: Plans and priorities for next year including: Bus depot and 'the bus!', links with the allotment and hub, planning our next gardening day, safety and security, hanging baskets. Councillor Cox and (hopefully) our PCSO will attend this part of the meeting.

If there are any other 'big' issues that you want to bring up then let me know asap.

As ever, please tell neighbours who might not be on the mailing list and feel free to pass on issues from residents who can't make the meeting for whatever reason.

Best wishes, Jo (chair)

Thursday 11 April 2013

Moss Side Budgeting Club

Posted on behalf of Mosscare Tenants Panel:

Worried about how the changes to benefits and the recession will affect you and your fellow tenants and residents in Moss side?  Mosscare are running a budgeting club which is open to anyone in the community. 
 
The club will last for 6 weeks (2 hours per week from 11am to 1pm) starting on;
 
When - Wednesday, 10 April 2012
Time 11.00am – 1.00pm
Venue – Hartshorne Court, Opposite Claremont Primary School, 3 Grantham Street, Rusholme M14 4EG
 
The club will be run by local residents.  During the course, you will be able to;
 
·         Share recent experiences of having to manage on tight budgets
·         Get ideas on making savings and opening bank accounts
·         Consider the impact of the new 'universal credit'
·         Receive advice from the CAB on debts
·         Consider priority debts and create personal financial statements
·         Learn how to review and choose the right energy tariff for your home
·         Shopping on a budget and loving food/hating waste!

For further information, e-mail Teyei.Chollom@mosscare.org.uk